Jasmine

Arriving at my condo, Alamo walked me to the door and said, “Your call, Firefly.”

“Come in.” I unlocked my door and stepped inside. “But no funny business.”

He chuckled. “Spoilsport.”

Scruffy made a beeline for Alamo who scooped him up and held him tight as he settled his gorgeous body on my sofa.

“Do you want a beer?” I asked, dropping my keys in the bowl in the kitchen.

“Yeah, that’d be good.”

I grabbed us each a bottle and sat beside him, handing him a beer.

“Thanks, babe.”

I grinned, stroking Scruffy who was in cat heaven stretched out over Alamo’s lap.

Lucky pussy.

I took a sip of beer then settled my head in my hand. “Do you have family close?”

Alamo nodded. “Sister and brother-in-law live close. My niece is two. Parents are dead. What about you?”

“Parents are very much alive. I have an older brother and sister. My sister and brother-in-law have been married for a while and they have two kids, my brother’s married, and they have five kids.” I smiled. “We get together once a week.”

“Like family dinner and shit?”

I nodded. “Yep. Mama cooks every week and it’s mayhem, in all the best ways.”

“Sounds like it.”

“Are you close to your sister?”

“Sort of,” he said. “Quin’s husband’s a dick. Don’t like him, not quiet about not likin’ him, so she and I see each other when he releases the tether. A couple times a month.”

“Your sister’s name is Quin?”

“Yeah.”

“You both have such cool names.”

He sighed. “Yeah, I guess so.”

“That’s gotta be tough... to be estranged from her, though.”

He shrugged. “It is what it is.”

I could tell he didn’t want to expound, so I dropped it.

“Do you think you can find some time in your busy schedule this week?” he asked.

“I honestly don’t know,” I admitted. “Why?”

“Wanna spend time with you, Firefly.”

I blushed. “I want to spend time with you too. What’s your schedule like?”

“Wednesdays I have church, but otherwise, my nights are free.”

“You go to church?”

“Club meetin’.”

“You call your club meetings ‘church’?”

“Yeah.” He took another swig of beer.

I grinned. “My family’s going to think I’m dating someone super religious.”

He cocked his head. “Is that a good or a bad thing?”

“I’ll let you know when I know.”

“Fair enough.”

“Where did you learn to skate?” I asked.

“I don’t know if it was something I learned, necessarily. We were always outside as kids. Skates, boards, bikes, whatever. I always liked skating, but this was my first time at an actual rink,” he said. “Don’t skate nearly as fancy as you do, though.”

I laughed. “I don’t skate ‘fancy.’”

“So the spins and shit weren’t fancy?”

I waved a hand dismissively. “Those old moves?”

Alamo laughed, but lost his mirth when he pulled out his cell phone.

“Everything okay?” I asked.

“I need to head out,” he said, standing.

“Oh. Okay.”

Scruffy let out an annoyed “Meow,” and Alamo ran his hand over his head, then walked into my kitchen and set his beer on the counter. I rose to my feet and followed, then walked Alamo to the door.

He smiled, sliding his hand to my neck and stroking my pulse. “Had a great time, Firefly.”

“Me too. Thank you for the surprise.”

“Want me to call you later?” he asked.

“Does a bear shit in the woods?”

He chuckled, leaning down to kiss me. “Fuckin’ beautiful, baby.”

“Thanks, Mo.”

“I’ll see you later. Lock up.”

I nodded and watched him walk down the stairs before closing and locking my door.

* * *

Alamo

I grinned at Jasmine’s expression as I walked to my truck. She was warring with her emotions and I loved it. I had her exactly where I wanted her. I hated to leave her, but I needed to play by her rules... or at least seem like I was.

I walked into the compound and grinned when I saw Badger sitting at the bar. Considering he’d nearly died a month ago, I was fuckin’ glad he only had to deal with a broken arm and a few other things left over from the beating he’d received.

“Badge, brother, good to see ya,” I said, giving him a quick hug.

“Hey, man.”

“With Dash coming home after his wreck, and your tore up mug, this place is gonna look more like a recovery ward than a clubhouse.” I joked, but the normally upbeat Badger barely smiled.

“You okay?” I asked.

“You got a minute?”

“Yeah, brother. ’Course.” I cocked my head. “You want privacy?”

“Yeah.”

Well, shit, this didn’t sound good. I led him back to the conference room and we both pulled up chairs.

“Have you heard from Quin lately?” Badger asked.

“No, why?”

“I think she’s in trouble, Alamo.”

“And why the fuck would you think my sister’s in trouble, Badger?” I ground out. “You were supposed to keep your fuckin’ distance.”

I didn’t like the fact that I was hearing news about my sister from Badger. He and Quinlan were tight. Had been ever since he met her (as a recruit), but she was older than him and married, so even though he swore to me they’d kept everything platonic, I told him to back off. Like way the fuck off.

I don’t believe in borrowing trouble, and young horny patches hanging out with married women is renting trouble by the fuckin’ hour.

“Yeah, brother, I know, but she and I are close. The fact she’s married and has a kid doesn’t change how much I care about her. We’re friends. Nothin’s ever happened and nothin’ will, but she was weird when we talked a couple weeks ago, and I haven’t heard from her since.” He leaned back in his chair. “Have you guys talked?”

“Not in a week or two, no.” I pulled out my phone and dialed her number, but it went to voicemail, so I left her a message. “Quin, call me as soon as you get this. Need to hear your voice, yeah?” I hung up and studied Badger. “What’s goin’ on, Badger? What the fuck else aren’t you telling me”

He dragged his hands through his hair. “I think Michael hit her.”

“What the fuck?” I roared, standing so fast, my chair flew into the wall.

Badger shook his head as he stood. “I don’t know for sure. She’s just not actin’ right.”

“When?”

“Couple weeks ago.”

“And this is the first I heard about it?”

“I couldn’t confirm it,” he rushed to say, but I’d stopped listening.

I was already through the compound and heading to my truck. Goddammit, I was officially a fuckin’ idiot when it came to women. Quin’d asked for space and I’d stupidly given it to her, against my instincts, and better judgement.

Fuck!

I raced to her home in Richmond Hill, not sure if Badger followed, but not caring. I needed to get to my sister and figure out what the hell was goin’ on.

Pulling up to the house, I cringed. I fuckin’ hated that she lived here. Hated that she felt this was her only option. Michael had money and he’d wooed her when she was young and naive, but I never liked the way he looked at her... or the various other women who crossed his path. I’d talked to Quin about it at the beginning, but she was enamored by him and refused to listen.

Jogging up the driveway, I pounded on the door, then rang the doorbell. In the distance, I heard the sound of pipes and knew that Badger had rallied the troops.

“Quinlan Marie, open this goddamn fuckin’ door!” I bellowed.

I heard movement, then the door opened slowly, and Kinsey’s little face appeared behind the door. I hunkered down, so I wouldn’t scare her. “Hey, baby. How did you open the door?”

She showed me how she pulled the lever on the inside of the door and a new rage formed in my belly. Who the fuck would leave a door unlocked when a two-year-old appeared to be here alone?

“Where’s Mommy?”

“Sick,” she whispered.

My blood ran cold. “Can you show me?”

She nodded and took my hand, climbing the stairs awkwardly, then tugging me down the hall. She pushed open the master bedroom door and I saw my sister curled up in the middle of her huge bed, her hair covering her face.

“Quin?”

With a shaky hand, she pushed her hair aside. “Valen? What are you doing here?”

“Why are you sick?”

“I’m not,” she said, and pushed herself up. “I’m okay.”

The problem with that lie, however, was that her robe collar dropped slightly, and I saw bruises on her neck.

“Alamo!” Badger yelled from the foyer.

“Kinsey, baby, let’s go hang out with your buddy Badger for a bit, okay?” I said, and walked her out of the bedroom. “Come get Kinsey, Badge. Gotta talk to Quin for a bit.”

Badger took the stairs two at a time, and lifted her into his arms. I turned around and let myself back in Quin’s room, forcing myself not to slam the door as I closed it. She was now standing by the window, her robe firmly sashed again. “Start talkin’.”

She shook her head. “I can’t.”

“He hit you.”

She neither confirmed nor denied.

“How many times?”

“Valen.”

“How many times, Quinlan?”

“I lost count,” she admitted.

“You lost count.” I was gonna kill him. “When did it start?”

“Honeymoon.”

“Fuck!” I snapped.

“Val—”

“No, Quin! Goddammit!” I crossed my arms to keep from shoving a fist through the wall. “Why the fuck didn’t you tell me?”

“Because he didn’t mean it. At least at first.”

“Look at me.”

“No.”

I closed the distance between us and turned her to face me, but she dropped her head. “Quinlan.”

When she raised her head, I saw red. Fading bruises around her right eye were turning yellow, a very purple bruise along the left side of her jaw looked fresher, and her top lip was swollen to twice its normal size... and not in a good way. “Goddammit!”

She reached out and squeezed my arm. “It just got away from me. He’d always hit me where they could be hidden, now he can’t control himself, and I can’t seem to do anything right, but he’ll... ah... take Kinsey from me if I leave him, so I’m stuck.”

“Like hell you are,” I snarled.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered, and I pulled her gently into my arms.

“It’s okay, sissy, we’re gonna fix this.”

She settled her cheek against my chest and shook her head. “I don’t think you can.”

“Well, we’re gonna start by packin’ a bag. You’re gonna come stay with me for a bit.”

She met my eyes. “Valley, I have nothing of my own. No money, no nothing. Michael has me on a budget, and I have no debit or credit cards. I’m stuck. I can’t leave.”

“Quin, I’m gonna fix this. I want you to pack. I want you out. Let me handle Michael.”

A knock at the door sounded and I released Quinlan to answer it. Badger pushed his way in and Quin lost her mind.

“Get out!” she snapped.

“Are you fuckin’ kiddin’ me?” he snapped. “When did the asshole do that to you?”

“Knox—”

“No, Quin, this stops now.”

“It’s not that simple.”

“I can’t believe I let you shut me out. This stops now,” he said again.

In order to stop the uncomfortable argument between them, I said, “Pack, Quin. Not up for discussion. Badger, come with me.”

He continued to stare at Quin as he said, “Give me a minute Alamo.”

“Badge—”

“Alamo. Quin and I need a minute. Alone.”

I glanced at my sister and she rolled her eyes, but nodded and I left the room... without closing the door. Pulling out my phone, I put in a call to Booker. He was our Portland chapter VP, and a computer expert with serious hacking skills.

“Hey, Alamo,” Booker said.

“Hey, brother. You got time to log into the Matrix, or whatever the fuck it is you do?”

He chuckled. “Yeah, sure. What are we doing?”

“I need your expertise on how to roast a pig.”

I filled him in on everything I knew about Michael, which wasn’t much, to be honest (but it was enough for Booker), then I went to check on my niece. Doom sat on the floor with his legs crossed and he was pulling quarters out of Kinsey’s ears. She squealed with excitement and awe as he performed the magic trick over and over...until she saw me.

“Unca Valley!” she said, her countenance much happier than when I’d arrived. Doom had joined the club long before me, and he’d become one of my most trusted brothers. He was great with kids, so I wasn’t surprised Kinsey took to him.

I knelt in front of her and smiled. “Hey, baby. Are you having fun with Doom?”

She bobbed her head up and down.

“That’s great, baby. You feel like having a sleepover with me and Mommy?”

She let out a quiet squeal and jumped up and down. “Moana?”

I didn’t know what the fuck Moana was, but I agreed, figuring Quinlan would fill me in. I handed her off to Doom, but Kinsey cried and reached for me.

“You stay here with Doom, okay? Mom and I’ll be down in a bit.”

I headed back upstairs and walked into the bedroom to find Badger holding my sister a little closer than I would have liked. “You’re supposed to be packing,” I growled.

“I’m going,” she said with a sigh and pushed away from Badger, heading for her closet.

“You seriously gonna stand and watch?” I challenged.

“Yeah, man. You got a problem with that?”

“She’s married.”

“No longer give a fuck,” he said.

“He’s gonna make this hard on her.”

Badger scowled. “And I’m gonna deal with that, but it won’t touch her.”

“Okay, you two, quit talking about me like I’m not in the room.” Quinlan threw her suitcase on the bed. “If I’m going to get this done, it has to be soon. Michael’s due home in an hour.”

“What do you need me to grab for Kinsey?” I asked.

“I’ll do it,” she said, and waved us out of the room. “Just let me get dressed first.”

“She said something about Moana.”

Quin sighed. “Of course she did. I’ll grab it.”

Badger and I were left in the hall while she dressed, then she opened her door and told us we could take her bag downstairs. While we hauled her shit to my truck, she packed Kinsey up.

The whole process took less than an hour and I loaded my sister and niece in my truck and headed back to my small but adequate house near the compound. I wanted to take them to the compound, but Quinlan nearly had a panic attack at the idea, so I let her have her way... for now.

“He’s going to find me,” she rasped as we walked inside.

“No, he’s not.” I closed the door behind us, bolting it, and setting the alarm. “He doesn’t know where I live and if he finds out, you’re locked down. He can’t get to either of you.”

“How is that even possible?” she asked, throwing her arms in the air. “The Dogs aren’t all powerful, Valen.”

“Mama?” Kinsey patted Quinlan’s leg.

She scowled at me before hunkering down in front of her daughter. “Yeah, squidge?”

“Mad, Mama?”

“I’m not, honey. I’m just tired. I’m sorry if I sounded angry.”

She stroked her cheek. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.” Quinlan hugged her, then stroked her cheek. “It’s bath time, baby.”

“Moana.”

“We can still watch Moana, squidge. But bath and pajamas first.”

She nodded, and I helped get them settled in the master bedroom before heading into the kitchen. I grabbed a beer from the fridge and leaned against the counter. Fuck me, this was bad.

I trusted Booker, though, so as long as Quinlan held strong with the asshole, we’d be good. The problem was, Michael was Kinsey’s father, so he had some leverage.

I rubbed my forehead and tried not to overthink the situation. I needed to trust my brother to find dirt, then we could go from there.